A big show for small audiences

In a couple of weeks we are taking the smallest Croydonist team member to Talawa Theatre to see Home Song, which is an interactive musical created specifically for babies. Yes you heard right – theatre for small ones. A co-production by Talawa and Unicorn Theatre, we were very intrigued to find out more, so we caught up with the creator and director, Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong for a chat.

Croydonist: Theatre for babies is a first for us – what interested Talawa particularly about this production?

Cassiopeia: Honestly theatre for babies is a first for me too! I’ve created theatre for children as young as 3 before but at the end of 2023 when Talawa and Unicorn first asked me to create a production for babies my first thought was “who takes their baby to the theatre?!” Since then it’s been awesome to see what was already happening for under 2s and use that as a springboard to create something that could make a unique new contribution to the landscape of early years theatre. And so I set out to create Home Song – a new story that speaks to the Black British cultural experience for babies aged 6-18 months told through a capella singing and puppetry.

Croydonist: What can our readers expect if they get a ticket?

Cassiopeia: I hope anyone who comes to see Home Song feels transported to a world of music, community and play.

Inspired by my grandparents who moved to the UK from Ghana and Grenada, Home Song tells the story of Adwoa and her Mother as they move from Kumasi to London in the 1960s. Every performance features beautiful singing, gorgeous puppetry, and a few tunes you might already know!

Our wonderful cast Halle Brown and Amina Gichinga are incredible at creating an explorative and playful atmosphere which encourages little individual moments of magic in every show and each performance is unique as the babies explore the space and become part of the storytelling in different ways.

Croydonist: How is Home Song specifically tailored for babies? Can parents bring older children too?

Cassiopeia: Home Song was created in partnership with Talawa’s engagement department and Unicorn Theatre’s Creative Hub so for the past year we have been visiting nurseries and Parent & Baby groups in Croydon to develop ideas and material for the show, see what babies really respond to and rework anything they didn’t like. It’s been such an amazing journey of discovery and there were so many ideas I originally had which totally transformed once we invited babies into the process.

Home Song was created for children aged 6-18 months, but we have also welcomed older and younger children as part of the audience during our run at the Unicorn Theatre so far. There’s a beautiful story at the heart of the show so we suggest that older children stay close to their parents to experience the music and storytelling so that we can keep the space safe for babies and toddlers to play freely throughout.

Croydonist: It’s billed as an interactive musical adventure – what elements are interactive and are babies free to roam throughout?

Cassiopeia: Oh my gosh there are so many interactive elements in Home Song!

Firstly the stunning set design by Ruth Badila, beautifully lit by Aisha Oyedepo invites the audience to join the performers inside a musical courtyard and babies are free to roam throughout as everything inside the frame has a sensory element for them to explore and interact with. They’ll crawl across different textures on the floor, brush past sound curtains, experience how light shines through different materials and more!

Throughout Home Song adults are invited to join in – singing and drumming along with the performers and each baby is given a mini suitcase with sensory toys which link to different moments in the story. Our puppetry and movement director Aimee Louise Bevan has also developed these gorgeous wholesome moments in the show where our puppets Adwoa and Kwame can connect with any babies who approach them during the performance.

After each show there is free playtime in the space where babies are able to continue to explore the space – we’ve also found that this is a lovely moment for adults to connect and build community too.

Croydonist: What do you think is the most challenging aspect of staging Home Song?

Cassiopeia: I’m always excited by a challenge so I’d say the most exciting aspect of staging Home Song has been the constant multi-tasking that everyone on the team has had to do to make this show a reality. The way that Amina and Halle are able to sing, puppeteer, act, guide the audience, transform the space and tell a story is nothing short of incredible.

I like to think that Home Song is a big show for small audiences and even though we’re a tiny team we’re full of ambition and have really tried to push limits of what people expect from baby theatre to make this a special experience for everyone who comes to see it.

Croydonist: What are you most looking forward to about the run?

Cassiopeia: I’m most looking forward to Home Song being the first experience of theatre for so many babies – it feels like both a massive privilege and a huge responsibility creating theatre for such a young audience and I hope that we’ve been able to create an experience that families will cherish and something which keeps them coming back to theatre again and again – even once they’ve outgrown our show! I’m also excited for everyone to make music together – the show works best when we’re supported by a community of voices so I can’t wait for everyone to come through and sing with us!